Memories lost
by Rhay-Robotnik
Summary: A man woke up alone and injured in a forest without any memories. Where is he from? What happened?...and mostly… what was his name?
1. Prologue - Lost

I always loved dramatic stories where the principal character forgets everything and he ends up in a challenging journey, trying to remember. I decided to give it a go with the Professor Layton's games series. I hope you'll all enjoy the story. Reviews are really appreciated and I'll do my best to reply to every questions at each chapter.

I don't own the characters from the Professor Layton game series. Professor Layton is the property of Level-5, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

 **Prologue - Lost**

Everything was so dark…

The air was so cold…

Every part of his body was in terrible pain…

He couldn't hear a thing…

He felt so alone…

he felt so weak…

Everything felt so wrong…

What was happening to him?...

Was he dreaming?...

Did he have an accident?...

Was he... dead..?

No… he couldn't be dead.

He wouldn't feel such a horrible pain if it was the case.

He had to wake up…

He had to know what going on..!

His eyes suddenly snapped open.

He was dazzled by the sunlight at first… but after a moment, he could finally make out his surrounding.

The first thing he noticed was that wonderful blue sky without a single cloud.

It was still in the middle of the day, by the position of the sun.

Then he noticed that he was surrounded by a forest.

It seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.

Finally he notice, that he was in horrible pain.

And alone…

Sitting up took him much effort, holding himself to not cry in pain.

There was no arguing about it, he had clearly something broken.

But he couldn't stay here…

He needed to search for help.

Everything would be easier if he knew where he was...

What happened…

and…

wait a minute…

"Who...who am I? What is my name..?"

The man in the orange shirt and black coat held his head when a horrible migraine overtook him.

This was such a terrible sensation.

He couldn't think well with such a pain.

But he didn't need to be able to think to notice that his memory seemed to be faulty at the moment.

It seemed to be completely blank.

He couldn't remember his name.

He couldn't remember where he came from.

He couldn't remember his family and friends.

He couldn't remember a single thing.

The truth came to him like a slap in the face.

He had no idea where he was.

He was alone in the middle of nowhere.

He had clearly important injuries that were needing care.

The need of find civilization became more and more important.

He used a tree as support to get up from that cold ground.

He quickly learned that he couldn't put any weight on his left leg when a spark of pain traveled his whole body, almost making him fall back down.

Great… a broken leg, exactly what he needed in this wonderful evening.

He muttered something ungentlemanly under his breath.

He just kept accumulating problems, and it really didn't help his case in this situation

He looked around, everything was looking the same. He couldn't make out in which direction he could find civilisation.

It seemed that he needed luck on his side this time… and by looking in what state he was right now… it seem luck had already abandoned him since a long time ago.

He decided to press forward, avoiding as best he could putting weight on his broken leg and he tried his best to use trees as support.

It was a slow...and painful walk..

Actually, we couldn't truly call it walking… he was more stumbling around like a drunken sailor.

He took a small break and a deep breath.

He had to keep going, no matter what.

If he was still in the forest at night in such condition… it would definitely not be good.

Now with a determined look on his face, he kept going on this long journey full of obstacles. Hoping that the worse was already behind him.


	2. Chapter 1 - Search for help

Thanks everyone for your reviews! It was great to see these positives reviews and some nice feedback. It helps me a lot to improve. It's actually my second fanfic I have ever written and in fact… I started the first one some days before that one. So I'll do my best to provide a good story and to improve my writing skill and vocabulary. I am working along with my friend Bergor for brainstorming and he is helping a lot with my grammar, so I wanted to say a special thanks to him for this. =3

Well, I hope you guys will enjoy that chapter! I worked hard on it and the more reviews I got, the faster I tried to finish it. And don't forget, reviews are really appreciated and I'll try to answer every questions I can. Have a good reading! =D

* * *

 **Chapter 1 - Search for help**

He spent several minutes, maybe one hour, on his search for help of any kind.

So far, he had no luck.

He knew he shouldn't complain about it yet, even if his pain seemed to get worse at every step.

He looked up to study the sun's position.

He still had time before sunset.

Maybe three or four hours max until he needed to search for a shelter for the night and build a fire if possible as well.

His hair was tousled by the gentle breeze.

The feeling was really strange to him for some reason.

Like... if he hadn't felt this since so long.

He stopped for a moment and touched the top of his head, expecting to found something.

But there was nothing.

It seemed like something was missing, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Inside of him, he had this strange feeling, like it was something important.

He shook his head and kept going.

He had no time to lose on a hat of some sort.

It will probably come back to him sooner or later.

It wasn't really the priority right now.

His attention was not totally set to where he was walking.

Many questions were crossing his mind at the moment.

But no answers were found.

He sighed in defeat.

"I suppose I shouldn't force myself to think at the moment…", he shook his head, "It isn't like this migraine would allow me to do so anyway…"

Even if he remembered something, it probably wouldn't help him that much.

He should focus more on where he's going and keeping his injury from worsening by not stumbling over something like a fool.

He suddenly froze in place when he heard leaves rustled. His worried gaze fixed where the source of noise was coming from. It was in some bushes, quite close to him. He suddenly realised something he hadn't considered yet. He was in the middle of the woods and all kind of dangerous wild animals could be found in here.

His grip on the tree got tighter and he held his breath. If something were to come out and attack him, he would be unable to defend himself or even to flee. Let's say… that he would be more than in serious trouble.

He didn't dare to move a muscle, fearing to get the attention of whatever was hiding there.

His heart was beating fast.

His nervousness grew at every seconds passing by.

Suddenly, something came out of the bushes… And he could see a little rabbit fix him with it's little round eyes before scampering off into the woods.

He stayed there… silent for a moment.

Did… he just got scared by… an adorable and harmless little rabbit?

He just started to laugh when he realised how stupid the situation was. Oh my… he just made a fool of himself right now.

As scary as the situation was at first, it felt nice right now. I guess laugh is always good to cheer up a bit in such situation.

"How embarrassing.", he shook his head and chuckled to himself, "I should stop thinking of the worse and stay calm no matter the situation. That's what a gentleman should do after all"

He suddenly seemed surprised at what he just said.

"Hm..? How curious… "

He placed his right hand under his chin, closed his eyes and tilted his head, looking thoughtful. This gesture seemed to come to him strangely naturally.

"Why did I mention this about being a gentleman?", he asked himself, "It's strangely brought me a familiar feeling when I did. Hmm.."

He stayed there, thinking a moment. He opened his eyes and he got a satisfied answer.

"I may not remember who I am, but, perhaps it must be something I would usually say. I don't see any other particular reason."

He nodded and kept going.

"I suppose habits are hard to lose, even with memory holes."

* * *

[...]

After what seemed to be like an eternity of walking, (that was actually around three hours) his state became worrisome. He began to feel weariness and this was well noticeable. His movement became slower and awkward. The pain seemed unbearable after forcing himself to walk for so long despite his condition.

He decided to stop for a moment and sat down against a tree. He closed his eyes and let escape a sigh of relief. He wished he could stay like this all day. But he didn't have all day. Sunset was near and he still had no idea where to look for help. He decided to take some well earned rest for a few minutes before continuing his search.

It was so calm… so peaceful. It was quiet, beside a few birds singing here and there and this water noise.

…

Wait a minute…

"It sound… like flowing water.", he opened his eyes, looking around curiously, "if it is the case, my chances to find help have increased."

Despise his body's protest, he got up and decided to follow the source of the flowing water noise. After a few meters, he arrived at a small open space with a river in front of him.

He smiled, clearly happy of his discovery,"A river, like I was expecting."

He looked at it thoughtfully. Yes, he did find a river, but which direction should he take from here?

He pondered, having this natural movement coming along like earlier. Eyes closed, hand on the chin, head tilted, he began to turn ideas inside his mind, searching for the right answer.

First, traversing the river was already marked as a really bad idea. The flow was too strong and with his broken leg, it would be impossible to achieve. He had no idea what was on the other side and with the night coming along, he would be freezing if his clothes were to get wet.

So… it was definitely a NO.

Then, two more option were proposed to him. He could follow the river to the right, or to the left.

The flow of the river was coming from the right. There must be a ocean or some sort at the end of it. Depending of where exactly he was situated, he could find a city or a port along with it. But there's a big chance that he came to nothing and that the ocean was actually quite far.

He thought of his other possibility: following the flow of the river to the left. There is a possibility to find a lake along with houses and farms. It seemed to be a region suitable to cultivation and farms often use strong river flow to power their water mill.

He smiled, satisfied with the answer he was searching for. He strangely felt the urge to point out in front of him, but he reminded himself that he should be careful because of his injuries and avoid making brusque movements.

He began to follow the river, but suddenly stumbled around when he did. He stopped, almost immediately, holding his head in pain. It seemed that his migraine had got worse all of a sudden. Probably the result of his exhaustion after getting so far.

Dizziness hit him and everything started to spin around him. A sick feeling clutched his stomach.

No… not now. It's not the time to lose consciousness, so close to maybe finally find help.

He closed his eyes for a moment, hoping that the feeling would go away. Taking deep breaths, he relaxed, waiting for it to stop… or at least decrease.

After some minutes, the sensation seemed to fade away.

He dared his eyes open.

"Hm… it seems back to normal.", he sighed relief.

"I shouldn't lose more time."

He resumed his walk, back with a determinate expression. But inside of him, he was worried, even a bit afraid. There was other outcomes than success and he knew it very well. But he had hope… hope that luck would stay on his side. How many chance he had to find a river in the middle of nowhere after all? And this by taking a random direction?

"There must be something ahead. There has to.."

Dizziness came back to him after a little while. Urg…! Why won't it leave him alone for a moment!

He kept his focus forward, trying to ignore the spinning landscape around him until he heard a strange sound in the wind. Something unusual to a forest.

"What in the world…?"

He listened more carefully, then heard it again.

"It sounds… like… a cow?"

His face light up with hope. He didn't care about his dizziness and pressed forward faster than his condition could allow him. He came out of the wood in an open area. He could see a large field that seemed filled with different kind of vegetables and such, a pen with cows, a medium sized red and white house and diverse other structures that clearly belonged to a farm.

He held his head again, migraine becoming more intense. It was hard to see what stood exactly in front of him. Everything was moving so fast. He thought he could make out a human shape in all this mess.

He took a step forward and tried to call the person but his words got caught in his throat. His vision became blurry until everything suddenly turned completely dark.

The last thing he could hear was a surprised shout from the figure standing in front of him and then he hit the ground.

* * *

I don't own the characters from the Professor Layton game series. Professor Layton is the property of Level-5, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.


	3. Chapter 2 - Rude awakening

Here's the next chapter, finally! =D I had a really busy week of school and art commissions and I was unable to finish it earlier. Sorry about this =/… But I'll do my best to at least submit a new chapter each week, more if I'm able. I hope everyone will like this chapter.

And don't forget, reviews are really appreciated and I'll try to answer every questions I can. Have a good reading! =D

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - Rude awakening**

It was cold, dark, and everything around him was blurry and seemed to move at a high speed.

He couldn't see what stood in front of him or on what he was actually standing.

Strong wind could be felt around him.

It gave him the feeling of standing on something that was moving.

He instinctively held onto something on his head. Is it a hat?

His other hand had a tight grip on a metal bar or something of that sort.

It was really cold.

It was hard to breath.

He had this feeling inside of him… that he had to get away from this place, that he needed to run. He had to get a way out and fast.

But where to go? Why did he have this feeling? What was happening?...wasn't he in a forest a moment ago?

Then suddenly a shadow rushed fast in his direction. He couldn't make out what it was, but it was coming directly at him.

He tried to avoid this shadow, but in his evasive action, he slipped on the surface beneath him.

He got pushed backward by the strong wind, off of what he was standing.

Panic suddenly filled him. He couldn't see or understand what was going on.

He was falling, everything was blurry and whirling around him.

He just had the time to give a final glance full of fear around him and noticed the shadow, far up in the sky, looking at him fall down.

Everything went black.

* * *

A small figure was poking him on the arm, still curious about the strange man and wondering when he would finally wake up. Beside the fact his outfit was torn, he was looking quite nice. And this face…. he seem like a really kind man. Probably even a awesome daddy.

His eyes suddenly snapped open and he sat bolt upright, making the person next to him yelp back in surprise. All his feeling came back to him and he suddenly really regretted getting up that fast. He cringed in pain and lay back almost as quickly as he got up.

He placed a hand on his chest where he could feel pain. It was probably some bruised ribs. He could feel something under his hand that wasn't his shirt. When he looked there, he noticed that his chest was covered in bandages…. and that he was actually shirtless.

Some red color spread on his face as embarrassment.

He looked at himself and his actual state and he looked terrible. Torn cloths and bandages here and there.

He looked at himself for a moment… silent… until he remembered that he spotted someone beside him when he woke up.

He had the reflex to cover his chest with his blanket. He looked to his right and spotted a petite lady standing there with a surprised look plastered over her face, eyes wide and mouth open. She seemed really young, judging by her size and face feature. Maybe around seven years old. She had blond hair made in two ponytails and big beautiful green eyes. She sported a pale green shirt with a blue ribbon worn as a bowtie, a dark green skirt and blue sandals.

She stayed there for a moment, looking in man's eyes, full of wonder, and then suddenly started to back off and then rushed out of the room.

We could hear her shout "GRAMMA! He's alive!"

He stayed there for a moment, alone, in this unknown location and a bit confused by the situation. He took the occasion to have a quick glance around. Every piece of furniture in the room had a rustic style. He could see some old black and white pictures in handmade frames that were hanging on the wall, a red unlight candle that stood on the drawers, along with some books. To his side, he could see a little bed table where bandages stood unused, a cloth along with a bowl of water and his folded shirt and jacket.

Everything was so calm, no sound was heard and a faith light was coming from the window. It was so...relaxing.

He could make out multiple footstep coming in his room direction. He looked at the door and there suddenly the little lady of earlier, rushed back inside the room, dragging along a small old woman by the hand. The woman had short white curly hair with a yellow flower in them. She had small caring black eyes with big red glasses that were giving her a gentle feel because of their shape. She had a pale yellow shirt, a white dotted red skirt along with a white apron and red shoes.

Not long after the two women arrived, an elderly man came inside the room right behind them. He had a white beard and small dotted black eyes. He sported a straw hat on his white hair. He had a black and red checkered jacket along with a black shirt. He wore dark blue jean with a black belt and typical brown cowboy boots. A piece of hay was sticking out of his mouth.

The elderly woman came to his side first with a concerning look on her face, yet, she was looking relieved at finally seeing that he woke up.

"Oh, you finally woke up, what a relief. Tell me young man, how are you feeling?", she seemed to study his bandages, to be sure everything was fine.

"I suppose I already feel better.", he gave her a sincere smile that she returned, "But I'm feeling better than earlier."

Now it was the turn to the elderly man to come near him. He looked like someone with much energy despite his age. His voice boomed in a laugh before he could say something.

"My poor boy, you have been out cold for three whole days.", he receive a shocked look from the injured man and he gave him a big smile, "Don't worry my boy. My dear fiance Elizabeth has taken a good care of you while you were out."

Three days?! He has been out that long? Even if he had been sleeping for three whole day, he was still really exhausted. He got out of his thoughts when he heard a little voice.

"Hey! Hey! I helped too! Don't forget about me Grampa!", the petite lady beamed, a bit angry that he forgot to mention her and crossing her arms, pouting.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the little girl reaction and gave her a tired smile, "I'm much thankful for your assistance.", a big proud smile plastered on the little girl face, "If there's anything I could do to repay you -…"

The old man shook his head, "Don't you worry about this for now my friend. Rest and keep your energy to get back on your feets and heal faster."

He nodded, "Yes, of course."

Elizabeth smiled to him, "Like my husband said, my name is Elizabeth...", she showed her husband and her little girl, "...and there is my husband Harrison and our little girl Mia.", Mia gave him a little wave with a big smile on her face, he couldn't help but smile warmly back.

"It is a real pleasure to meet you all."

He suddenly had that reflex to tilt his hat when saying this. But the fact he had no hat and then he was unsure why he did so, left him confused by this reflex. This made Mia giggle by how ridiculous he was looking and it made him blush, a bit embarrassed.

" Say mister!", the little excited Mya said, a bit too loud for his headache's taste, "What is your name?"

His smile suddenly disappeared, unsure how he was supposed to reply to this. He wished he could know that answer himself. He looked back to the ceiling, laying there with a confused expression on his face.

"I… wish I would know myself, my dear…"

Her smile dropped as well at this mention and she looked up at her grandmother who seemed to share the same shocked expression as her.

"Oh my…", Elizabeth started with a hint of sadness#, "Don't you… remember anything?"

He shook his head gently and looked back at her.

"I woke up in the middle of the forest in that state and I couldn't remember a single thing. I'm… I'm not sure what happened and how I ended up here. I did my best to search for help and well- ...", he trailed off, they knew very well what happened after.

Harrison smiled warmly and... it strangely brought him a reassuring feeling "Don't worry my boy, you can stay as long as you wish and need it. We can't leave you alone like this with nowhere to go."

"Maybe your memories will come back to you after some good rest", Elizabeth added.

He was unsure what to reply at first. These persons was so generous toward him, even if he was a complete stranger to them and they had made him such a kind offer… how could he refuse?

"I'm much grateful for this kind offer Miss Elizabeth and Mister Harrison, but I wouldn't want to be a burden for both of you if you have to keep me here…"

"Oh don't you worry about this lad",she hushed him with her hand, " we're always happy to have visitor in our sweet home."

"And you'll not want to leave after tasting to my wife's pie!" Harrison added, getting a giggle from both Mia and Elizabeth and a smile from the injured man.

"I suppose i can't refuse no matter what I say, hmhm."

Elizabeth gave a soft chuckle. "You're learning fast lad. Now, please, rest a bit more. You really need it after all this. We will come wake you up when dinner is ready. You need some energy back."

"Thank you Miss Elizabeth"

"Oh please, you can call me Elizabeth. I feel older when someone calls me miss."

He smiled, amused "Of course Elizabeth, as you wish."

"Now hush, sleep a bit", she moved her hands around to show him to rest.

Both Elizabeth and Harrison left the room, leaving Mia alone behind. She gave him a shy little wave and rushed out after her grand-parents. He could hear her from his room.

"Say Gramma! If he doesn't remember his name, how will I call him?"

He could hear her laugh. "I guess we will see that later."

He shook softly his head and chuckled.

He closed his eyes, and it was at this moment that he realised how tired he really was.

He was back to sleep in no time.

* * *

The table was filled with warm tasty looking food. Everything was freshly made.

I guess Harrison was right about Elizabeth's food. Who can resist such a good looking meal.

Actually… not just good looking. He got to taste some plates already and it was divine.

He smiled, looking at them chatter around the table. They had that warm and welcoming family feeling. It was so wonderful.

For a moment, he pondered…

Was there someone waiting for him at home? If yes… they must be awfully worried. He felt bad inside of him, wishing he could remember. It was actually three days he was away, sure someone was looking for him?

Right?

* * *

Childatheart28: Don't worry, we should see Luke and Flora quite soon. ;)

Everyone else: Thank you so much for your reviews! It makes me want to keep writing more and more and ya bunch giving me such nice reviews that I always enjoy to read. =3

I don't own the characters from the Professor Layton game series. Professor Layton is the property of Level-5, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.


	4. Chapter 3 - Where is the professor?

Sorry to have taken so long to update. It was the end of the school and I had to move back home. Plus the fact I had a lot of artworks to do for client, I hadn't much time to put into the story. I finally got some time to work on it and it's finally done. It's the longest chapter I did so far and I hope you guys will like it. =P

I'll do my best to keep my promise and try to update each week. But for now, enjoy the reading. ~

And don't forget, reviews are really appreciated and I'll try to answer every questions I can.

* * *

 **Chapitre 3 - Where is the professor?**

3 Days ago

London, England

The sunrise was covering London with orange hues of light. The city got in motion as soon as the first ray of light touched the streets. For most of its visitors, London is a beautiful city with many fabulous places to see, as the Big Ben, London's museum or even Gressenheller University.

People waking up, shops opening, filling the streets with life. There's a lots of interesting persons of all kind to meet all around this grand city. Most of them seem to definitely share the same passion: puzzles. Wherever you decided to go, there's always a chance that you will stumble on someone in need of help to solve a puzzle, someone just proposing you a puzzle or even a exchange of service or informations against solving a good puzzle.

There's one particular person that is well know in this city. His name is Hershel Layton. He is an archeologist and a professor at Gressenheller University who's mostly known for his puzzles solving skills and his assistance in solving many complicated cases with Scotland Yard.

Before, the professor could be see often in his office, working on diverse class paperworks and discoveries, all day long and until late at night. It often happened that he fell asleep on his couch, without realising it, only wanting at first to rest a bit. That brought most of his students to think that he was living there and didn't actually have a house.

Even if he was working at the university, Professor Layton was often away in expeditions or solving mysteries, and this, sometime for several months. This was alway so sudden that the university had to find a teacher at the last minute to replace him.

* * *

Layton's home

The whole house was silence, except for the faint ticking sound coming from the grandfather clock in the livingroom.

The sunrise started filling every inch of it's interior, warming up every rooms into a welcoming place. Every living souls inhabiting that home was fast asleep in their own warm cocoon.

* * *

Luke

The sunlight traverse through the thin curtain, tingling Luke's skin, teasing him. He pull the blanket over his head, grumbling at the sunrise that bothering him, trying to force him out of his comfortable nest.

His breath was slow and calm. It was like if a warm cocoon was surrounding him. How well he was right now… it's like nothing would ever be able to pull him out of here… except, of course, only one particular person.

The Professor.

Luke sighed, knowing really well that the professor had to wake up early today to prepare a test for his students. And this, it meant that he would have to get up early as well when the man came knocking at his door.

He moved a bit under his blanket, cuddling the soft surface of his pillow and enjoying the short time he still had.

It just took him some minutes before he fell back into slumber.

Time passed before Luke was woken up again by soft knocks on his bedroom's door.

It must be the Professor.

Luke grumble, not feeling like getting out of his bed. Maybe if he didn't get up yet, he could win some more minutes of resting.

Not even one minute, because there was no answer from Luke, more knocks could be heard again.

Luke sighed defeat, it seemed like the Professor wanted him up right now. But something was strange. These knocks were strange. Usually, Professor Layton's knocks were a bit louder and filled with more confidence. These ones were softer, slower in intervals and seemed strangely shy, like if the person on the other side was afraid to bother him.

He poked his head out of his blanket, curious despite his eyes' protest at the contact of the light.

"I'm getting up Professor…"

He heard a low and shy voice on the other side in reply, but he couldn't make out what was said.

Luke looked at the door, confused, "uh?", this was not sounding like the Professor.

He pushed his blankets aside and set his feets on the cold floor. He placed his hand over his mouth and let escape a big yawn. He was dressed in a adorable blue striped pajamas and he had messy chestnut colored hair. He had a tired look plastered all over his face and he was clearly still half asleep. A good warm cup of tea would be most welcome.

He dragged his feets on the floor to his bedroom's door, curious to see what was going on.

He opened the door, but to his surprise, it wasn't the Professor. It was a young lady named Flora, the third resident of this house. Flora was Professor Hershel Layton's protégé, and because of this, she ended up living along with him and his young apprentice, Luke.

She was dressed in her usual coral dress with a red sash and white sleeves, red at it's end and trimming that goes down to her knees. She also wore gray almost-knee-high boots and had her hair tied back in a ponytail with a red ribbon. She had big black eyes and bright rosy cheeks.

"Uh? Flora?", Luke exclaim surprise. This would explain why the knocks were sounding so different. "Why isn't it the professor that woke me up?"

The petite lady reply shyly, "I'm not sure." When she noticed his puzzled expression, urging her to give him a better explanation, she continued, "I woke up this morning and the Professor wasn't in the livingroom nor in the kitchen. I found this curious and I went knocking on his room's door, in case he had forgotten to set up the alarm on his clock. He wouldn't want to arrive late at the university for this important day after all.", Luke notice Flora's worried look, "But I didn't get a single answer from him…"

"Maybe the professor decided to let us rest and went earlier at the university. He didn't leave a note?"

She shook her head, "I looked everywhere and didn't found a single note. It makes me worry. It's why I decided to come wake you up. It's unusual from the Professor."

Luke frowned. It was indeed unusual from him. He would know that they would be both worried if he would got out without telling one of them.

It only happened once that he forgot to tell them. Let's say that Layton had learned very well from it. When he came back home late, it ended in a group hug with him and worry and angry complaints from them for he had made them so worried all day.

"Let's go check the Professor's room first. Maybe he didn't hear you.", Luke suggested, calming Flora's worries.

They both walked to Layton's door and Luke gave strong knocks on it. Like this, he would be sure that he heard them well...if he was here of course.

Some seconds passed and there was no answer, nor sound coming from the other side.

"um…", Luke temptatively open the bedroom's door, despite Flora's complain about the fact ' _sneaking into someone else bedroom without their permission wasn't really gentlemen like_ '.

His head poked out on the other side of the door and he noticed that the professor's bed was empty and well made. It actually seemed untouched, as if nobody had been here the whole night.

"It's strange… it's like if he hadn't come back yesterday.", Luke finally confirmed to Flora.

She gasp, "Oh no..! M-Maybe something happened to him last night on the way home!"

Luke turned to face Flora, "You're worrying too much Flora. It's the Professor after all! I'm sure he's fine!", Luke said with a hint of pride in his mentor, "And don't forget that he told us that he would get back home late. After all, he had much things to work on and finish yesterday. Maybe he has fallen asleep on the couch in his office. It wouldn't be the first time.", he proposed with an unsure tone. It didn't seem to really succeed in reassuring her.

"B-But…! Why didn't he call us yet then? His class is about to start in 30 minutes. He should be up by now." It seemed that Luke's explanation just made her even more anxious about the situation.

"H-Hmm…", he now took a thinking pose, sharing the same worried look then her. "M-Maybe he woke up late and didn't find the time to call us. He had a test to gave to his students today after all."

When he noticed that she was still really worried, he sighed defeat,"Let's take a look at his office, maybe he's here and he hadn't heard us?", Luke suggested, unsure.

Both him and Flora headed for the door, but inside of him, he felt that he knew already that he wasn't there. When they both stopped in front of the door, Luke opened it without knowing, and...oh, surprise… no one was here.

"Hm… the professor is definitely not at home I guess.", He looked back at Flora who had tears in her eyes.

Flora always got quite anxious when she was separated from the Professor and didn't know where he was and in what kind of situation he got himself into again. Luke sighed. It seemed he had no choice but to go at the university with her if he wanted her to finally be reassured. She should be fine again by seeing him well and truly there teaching at his student. Better than both worry the whole day.

"Let me change my cloths and we will take the bus to the university.", Luke finally continue.

"T-Thank you Luke…", she reply sheepish, "It would be more reassuring if I see that everything is fine with him."

He nodded, understanding well what she meant. When she headed back downstair, Luke rushed to his room to get rid of his pajama and put on his trademark outfit. It would be better if they could catch him before his class. So, better hurry.

It didn't take long for him to join Flora downstair. He wore a white collar shirt, blue sweater, viridian shorts with brown failing suspenders, white socks, brown Mary Jane shoes and a flat blue cap. Let's not forgot his large brown leather satchel that he always brought with him and that contained a lot of useful things like his notebook.

"We can go Flora, I'm ready!"

She nodded happily and they went to the nearest bus stop.

In the bus on the way to the nearest bus stop to the university, Luke stomach growled loudly. He placed his hands on his stomach with a discomforted grunt. He suddenly regretted the fact he hadn't eaten a breakfast before doing anything else.

"Maybe we should have eaten something before searching for the Professor…", Luke lamented.

Flora clapped her hands together, remembering something important " Oh! I had totally forgotten!", she took out a warped sandwich, "I made sandwiches while waiting for you. I was expecting you to be hungry on the way.", she chirped happily.

Now Luke suddenly regretted sharing his discomfort about the lack of breakfast. The first thing you learned about Flora was her terrible cooking skills, and everyone knew well that it was better to avoid tasting anything she made. Unless you wanna end up with a stomachache, food poisoning or just taste something really terrible. The only problem about this, is the fact that she is actually quite sensible about comments about her cooking skills and foods. So, unfortunately, both Luke and Layton had often ended up stuck eating it anyway or hiding it when she wasn't looking.

"Oh...hm, t-thanks Flora.", he forced a smile.

He looked at his sandwich with a unsure look. Maybe he could eat it really quickly. Like this, he won't have to taste it for long. He was just afraid of how it would actually end up after doing so. What was in it anyway? It smell like peanut butter mixed with fish. He took a deep breath, lifted it up to his face and was about to take a bite into it, when he notice that Flora was looking outside at the scrolling landscape.

He quickly shoved the inedible sandwich in his satchel and tried to take back a natural pose when she looked back at him, like he had done nothing.

"Wow… you already finished eating you sandwich? You must be really hungry! I bet you loved it! Do you want another one?", she proposed him, a bit guilty to have dragged him outside before he could eat anything.

"N-No! It fine!", he replied a bit too quickly and got a confuse look from Flora, "This was delicious and I think I'm quite full after the first one", he said ashamed, trying not to get suspicions from her.

She smiled, "I'm glad to hear that, Luke!", She looked back happily outside.

Luke sighed. It was a close one. He should be more careful with his reply.

After some minutes of bus ride, they finally reached their destination.

"Alright! The university is right that way!", he said happily, showing to the direction they had to go and holding his cap with the others hand.

They walked to to their destination in no time. They should be able to catch Layton before his class.

When they entered the tall building, they saw a few students here and there. Most of them must be already in class. Normally, peoples would wonder why there was kids hanging around in a university, but Professor Hershel Layton was someone well known. So it was the same with anyone that frequented him.

On the way to his office, they poked their heads in his class door's window and notice that he was still not in class. All his students were already sitting in their respective place, waiting for their teacher to arrive.

"He's still not here?", Flora asked, even if she already knew the answer.

"Seems not.", Luke confirm, while they continued on their way to their principale destination.

They finally reached a door ornate with a top hat emblem with a "L" in its middle. Luke knocked on it and he heard some footsteps. Luke smiled, it seemed the Professor was here all along. They won't have to worry anymore.

The door opened and his smile dropped when realised that it wasn't him at all. It was Rosa Grimes, the cleaning lady in charge of Gressenheller University's offices. Luke had often seen her in the professor's office cleaning his room, collecting his mail or even making tea for him. It was one of his good friend.

"Oh!", she exclaimed, surprised to see them both, "Luke, Flora! What brings you here? Isn't the Professor giving a class right now?", she asked, curious.

"The Professor wasn't in class. We thought he was still in his office getting ready."

"I didn't see him this morning yet. I was sure he was already in class or went directly to it from home."

Both Luke and Flora worried look came back.

"He wasn't at home this morning. We were sure he had fallen asleep in his office.", Luke explain to her.

"Oh my… where did he go again? It isn't like him to disappear like this without warning both of you or Dean Delmona to find another teacher to replace him.", she said, sharing their worry.

"Where is the Professor?", she said, terribly worried.

Luke wanted to help Flora get better, but it just ended up getting worse. He needed to find him. He shouldn't be that far.

Luke pondered, searching for any other location he could be often seen at. Wait! He knew exactly where! How didn't he think about it yet.

He looked at Flora with a big smile, "I think I know where he is!"

She look at him, puzzled, "Where?"

"Maybe he is at Scotland Yard!"

She clapped her hand together, "Of course!"

Rosa smiled to the two, "What are you both waiting then. Go get to him and tell him to stop missing his class."

"Will do! Bye miss Rosa!"

Rosa waved to them and they both rushed back to the bus stop to head at their new destination.

It didn't take long to arrive at Scotland Yard and luckily for them, the bus stop was right in front of it. So they didn't have long to walk to reach it.

Inside, they spotted Clamp Grosky, a very athletic and energetic Inspector, along with Chelmey, a gruff and grumpy Inspector.

They were exactly the persons Luke was hoping to fall on.

"Excuse me", Luke said politely, getting their attention, "Is their possibility that the Professor is here?"

Chelmey grumbled, probably because Luke had interrupted their conversation, "Do you see him here?"

"H-Hum… no… but have you seen him this morning by chance?"

"No, he hasn't come here this morning!", Grosky boomed with much energy like usual.

"Why are you two searching for him anyway? You're always along with him usually.", Chelmey finished for Grosky, now starting to be curious.

"He hadn't come home yesterday and he wasn't at the university this morning, even if he had an important class."

"He didn't leave any notes nor call home", Flora added.

The two inspector look at each others puzzled. This doesn't sound normal coming from him.

"I'll look around the city if I couldn't spot him!", he then rushed outside in no time, not even giving anyone time to reply to this.

Chelmey sigh, "It's indeed not normal from him.", he crossed his arms, thoughtful, "We will keep an eye open, in case we see him around… if he's still not back this afternoon, let's us know.", he frowned, "We will have to search for him if it's the case."

"T-Thank you Inspector", Flora said.

Luke look outside by the nearest window, pondering, "Where are you, Professor?"

* * *

olivetree: Does he still have a broken leg?

Me: Yes, I believe they made him some kind of Traction Splint to help him to heal and walk.

Guest: Is Gramma Elizabeth meant to be Riddleton? Or is the name just a coincidence?

Me: I guess it only a coincidence. Elizabeth is a character that I created specialy for this story. =3

Everyone else: Thank you so much for your reviews! Some had inspired me and gaved me some ideas for the story and I'm always eager to post a new chapter and see everyone comments and review about it. =3

 _I don't own the characters from the Professor Layton game series. Professor Layton is the property of Level-5, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only._


	5. Chapter 4 - My new name

_**Sorry for taking so long before posting the next chapter guy. I had trouble with my PC and had to buy new parts to repair it, so, was unable to continue the story during that time. And after I had finally repaired it, I had a lots of digital art work to finish for my job, so, I ended up only being able to finish it 2 weeks laters. Anyway! Here it is, and I hope you guy will enjoy it! It the longest chapter so far. Yup, over 3000 words. =P**_

 _ **Oh, and look at the end of the chapter. I'll now** **add** **at each end of chapter** **a** **question for the readers to answer, extra stuff (Art, comics and mini story) and my answer to your question.**_

 **Good reading. ~**

* * *

 **Chapter 4 - My new name**

He was sitting on the terrace of his dear rescuer's home. He looked at the beautiful landscape standing in front of him and he smiled at this view. The land of this farm was quite big. It was a wonder how one person alone could take care of it. Despite Harrison's age, he was someone with an impressive amount of energy, maybe even more then himself. Elizabeth was the one taking care of every animals on the farm, with the help of her little girl, of course. She is such a kind hearted person and her role fits her well for this reason.

He was quite happy to have landed in such a place with such wonderful persons. We could say that he got lucky in his unluckiness.

He sighed.

He still needed to remember anything… but nothing came back to his mind yet. There was just that same terrible nightmare that he had again. It was curious… what is the chance to have the same nightmare three days in a row? Could it be… what had happen… maybe? It could be a possibility, but he can't be sure. He couldn't see clearly. He only knew that he was on something moving fast and that he ended up falling down.

He shook his head, "Nevermind this for now…" At least, he was in a better health condition.

He gave a look at his broken leg. He was actually surprised that his leg was barely hurting today, until Elizabeth told him it was only a bad sprain. She said that most of it should be healed in one week, but would need several more days to be completely heal back.

Maybe he was stumbling, but at least he was able to walk with the traction splint that Harrison had geniusly crafted for him. Its conception was quite impressive. That Harrison must be quite the crafting genius for such a conception. He was really thankful for this.

He take a look at his clothes. His own clothes were all torn and dirty, so, Elizabeth provided him some clothes that originally belonged to her son. ' _I suppose that he'll not mind that I borrowed them for a little while. It just don't seem like the kind of outfit i would wear, if I compare it to the one I was wearing before'_ , he thought, ' _But it still has some class.'_ He was wearing a white t-shirt, a black cowboy vest and a pair of black blue pants. The only thing he was borrowing from his old outfit was his dark green shoes. Add a cowboy hat and he would look like the typical cowboy in a western movie.

He touched his head and passed his fingers through his hair. He still found the sensation strange. ' _Maybe a hat would be actually a good idea to wear.'_ He looked up and blocked his eyes from the sunlights with his hand. Mostly with this strong sun today… he strangely didn't feel complete without a hat.

He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and jumped in surprise from the touch he felt on his shoulder, earning a giggle from the culprit. "Ah! Miss Mia…? Please, don't sneak behind like this!", he said, with his hand on his heart and earning another giggle from her. "Eh eh… sorry about this mister…", She said sheepishly, "...but the look on your face was priceless!", she finished, smirking at him.

He just shook his head, smiling at the little girl. She didn't stop pestering him since he woke up this morning. She finally stopped when she went away to her room, saying that she would come back when she would had found him a good name. He didn't really mind. After all, it gave him some time to rest and it would be way better to finally have a temporary name to be addressed with. He just wished that she didn't come out with a silly name of some sort. After all, nobody want to be named like a pet.

"So…", he started, crossing his arms and smiling at her, intrigued, " What name did you come up with?", he finished, knowing very well that it was the reason of her presence.

She came to sit right beside him, jumping a bit on place in excitement. "I'm sure you will love it!", she boomed in excitement. She always spoke at double volume. "I decided to pick up a name that starts with the letter 'L' !"

"Hum?", he looked at her, curious, "Why this? If I may ask?"

"Gramma had found a button on your vest with an ''L' insignia on it. I presumed that it was your name's first letter!"

He seemed thoughtful for this new hint about his lost memory. "It's actually a good suggestion, Miss Mia", he started, getting a happy squeak from the little girl, "but… I'm afraid to tell you that you're actually incorrect", he finished, smiling at the shocked expression, now plastered all over her little face.

"W-Why this?! Does the 'L' stands for something else?", she ask confuse.

"Usually, buttons ornamented with a letter represents the first letter of a family name. It's some kind of crest or insignia specially made to represent that family."

"Aww…", she looked down with sadness, "I had worked extra hard to find you the perfect name to fit with this letter..."

"hm hm hm…", he place his hand on her head and ruffle a bit her hair to reassure her. "Don't worry, I don't mind at all that you start with that letter actually. Except, of course, if it's a silly name."

Her face light up with joy again. "Oh! Then? Then? Wanna hear my suggestion?, she said excited.

He chuckled, "Of course! It would be rude from me to say no after all."

"Alright! Here we go then!", she respond, leaving a bit a suspense in the air., "It Lyosha!", she finally revealed.

He look at her curious. This actually doesn't sound that bad. But he was wondering something about it. "Why did you picked up this particular name and not another one?"

"Why? You don't like it?", She asked, worried. She seemed to have the bad habit of jumping to conclusions too fast.

"No, no, don't worry. I'm actually curious about it."

"Oh!", she now had a big smile again, "It's actually the name of the hero of my favorite storybook!"

"Hum? Your favorite storybook?", he showed even more curiosity now, "What is this story about?"

"This story is about a village that was living in the misery and the tyranny of their king. They had a lot a problems in the village that the king didn't want to take care off. Only power and riches was interesting him. But one day, a mysterious young man came to their village and started to help everyone in need. Nobody knew who he truly was and where he came from, but they knew that the mysterious man's name was 'Lyosha'. The King heard about him and he was seeing him as a menace. He was jealous that his own peoples were loving and appreciating him more than their own king. He tried to get rid of him, but he failed and Lyosha vanquished him, delivering everyone from the tyranny of their unfair king. After this, the mysterious man, named Lyosha, disappeared as he had appeared. No man nor woman knew who he truly was and where he was coming from, but they knew that he would do everything to help those in need. Some said that Lyosha was an angel that fell from the sky, giving up his wings to help the men on earth."

He smiled warmly, "It seems to be a really beautiful story Miss Mia. I can see very well why you love it. And you seem to know it by heart."

"I keep bothering Gramma so that she reads it to me during bed time! I love this story!"

Layton chuckled. ' _Poor Elizabeth', he thought, 'she's probably pestering her until she gives up and comes read her bed story.'_

"Oh! I totally forgot! Do you know the meaning of the name Lyosha?", he shook his head, "It means 'the one who helps peoples'.", she was grinning now, "You remind me of him, it's why I decided to call you like that when I got the occasion."

"Humhum… because I mysteriously appeared out of nowhere?", he asked, amused.

"Well… there this reason yes…", she said a bit shy, "...but… I was more talking about the fact that you look like a kind hearted person and someone that is ready to help peoples in need too. I can't imagine you in any other way. I mean! Look at your face and your eyes! You look so gentle and like you wouldn't hurt a fly!

He looked at her really surprised with a faith blush. He hadn't expect this answer at all. That was somewhat adorable and really kind from her. Mostly to put such a trust on a stranger that she's known just for a short time, she must have a good eye for such things.

"I…", he start, hesitating at what to reply to this, "Thank you…", he smiled warmly and suddenly had the reflex to tilt his hat, but he soon remembered that he didn't actually have one. He frowned about his action. It's not the first time that he did it, and frankly, that was getting a bit on his nerve. He must look silly by doing this. His thoughts got confirmed when he noticed Mia giggle.

"Why are you doing this strange movement each time you thank someone? You really look silly when you do that.", she giggled again.

And he had that other hat reflex, where he tried to lower his hat to cover his eyes when he is embarrassed. "Urg… that's frustrating.", he said, bothered by his own action.

Mia couldn't help but laughing at this view in front of her. He really looked ridiculous. "What's wrong with you Lyosha?"

It took him a moment to realise that she was asking him something. He still wasn't used with this temporary name yet after all. "It seems that even if I don't remember a single thing, my body still has the reflex I seemed to be doing before… I presume that I was wearing a hat quite often by looking at how often I am using them. I must have lost it in… whatever I had been doing in this forest. It's quite bothersome."

"A hat you say, um?", she tilted her head, curious about this and seemed thoughtful until her face lit up with an idea in mind. "Oh! I know! I know! Stay here, I'll be right back!" She jumped up on her feets and bolted inside before Lyosha could ask her what she meant. He looked at the door's direction, confused and curious about what she went to do in there. The door suddenly swung open not long after she was away, revealing the little girl with a beautiful black cowboy hat in hand. "Look what I found!", she exclaimed, happy of her discovery.

"A cowboy hat?", he asked, curious, already having a hint of where she was going with that.

"Yes! That's Grampa's cowboy hat actually. He never wears it… but you, maybe you could wear it!"

"Me? Are you sure that your Grandfather wouldn't mind?", he asked, unsure. Better be safe then sorry.

"Sure! He's always wearing this straw hat of his anyway. He said that he didn't want to wear this cowboy hat because he looked funny with it and it doesn't' fit him very well.", she giggled when she remembered the head he had with it.

Lyosha looked at the hat curious and studied it. He slid his hand on the hat's tip, feeling the hat's texture and observing all the decorations and motifs adorning it. It seemed expensive, just by looking at its quality, it was well noticeable. He placed it temptatively on his head. Strangely, it seems to fit well on his head, like it had been made specially for him. He felt… more comfortable with it on his head… but there was still this feeling of insecurity that hadn't been filled. Why did he feel insecure without his own hat sitting on the top of his head? Why did it seem… so important? "EH! Lyosha!" He looked up, confused, snapping out of his thoughts and noticed Mia, waving her hands in front of him to get his attention. "You still with me here Lyosha?", she asked him. "Uh…?", he finally let out, confused. "You were suddenly away and not responding to my answer.", she responded to his confusion.

"Oh… my apologies Miss Mia. I'm afraid I was lost in thought for a moment.", he said apologizing.

"So! So! Is this hat okay?"

He smiled, "It's perfect, many thanks for having brought it to me." He could see easily that she was really happy of his answer. "So, how do I look?"

"You look great! You remind me of a sheriff like we can see in movies!" He chuckled at this mention. "Only a star missing and it would be perfect!"

"I approve with the little miss here.", a voice beamed behind him.

He looked behind him, surprised by the new voice. It didn't take him long to find out that this voice was belonging to Harrison. "Oh! Mister Harrison. I… must apologize if I am wearing your hat without your permission…"

"I had the idea!", Mia beamed in defense, stopping Lyosha from taking the blame.

"Nah!", he waved his hand in front of him, " Don't worry about this, my boy. I don't mind at all. This hat had been collecting dust for 3 years already. It's be about time that it be a use for someone. And it actually do look way better on you then on me!", he laughed at his last mention.

"hmhm… thank you mister Harrison."

"No need to thank me, my boy.", he got beside Lyosha, "So, how's the leg today?"

"My leg's barely hurting today, thanks to the traction splint you crafted for me. It doing a wonderful job", he said, smiling.

"Ah! Wonderful then! I based it on a old design that my father created one day and I decided to improve it."

"Your father must have been a genius in engineering then."

"Yes! He crafted many things that we still use on the farm. This part of land was belonging to him before and he taught me everything I needed to know. So like this, I can take care of his inventions and repair them easily."

"And one day he will teach me how to do this too!", she said excited.

" Ha ha ha! Of course little miss! Of course.", he replied happily and looked in Lyosha direction, "So my boy, any memories back?"

He shook his head. "No, unfortunately, nothing came back yet." He decided to not mention the nightmares yet. Maybe it was nothing to worry about.

"Well then, you should come along with me to Woodstock village. I was planning to go get some supplies we need. You could take an appointment with the village's doctor while we're here. Who knows, maybe the Doc can help you out with that memory trouble of yours.", Harrison suggested.

"Hmm… it may help me to remember in some way, I… guess I lose nothing to try."

"Aww…! What am I gonna do during that time if you both going away?", she said with a sad tone. Seems like she really liked the newcomer on the farm.

"Hmhm… why not go help your grandmother, um? I bet she would be quite happy to get some extra hands."

"hmph..!", she pouted and glared a bit at his grampa, not still convinced.

"If you help her, I'll grab your favorite cookies at the bakery shop." He smirk, knowing very well that she couldn't refuse this offer.

She still glared at him for a moment, before finally nodding. "Deal" She waved to Lyosha, then turned back and headed in the direction of… wherever Elizabeth was at the moment.

Layton chuckled at this sight. "Seems like someone's hard to negotiate with."

"You have no idea boy. You have no idea."

* * *

"Lyosha, eh?"

Harrison was driving him to Woodstock with his wine colored truck. Let say it was quite standing out from the other vehicles. But Lyosha was quite liking the color. It was... different.

"Yes, she said this name was fitting me perfectly until I remembered my true one. I must say, it has a nice ring to it."

"Hmhm… I'm not surprised at all that she picked up this name. I was sure she would jump on the occasion when the chance would show up. I… was actually more expecting the little lady would give this name to a pet." He smirked. "But I suppose it fine. She could have actually pick up something worse and more fitting as a pet name." Lyosha winced at this mention. He wouldn't have wanted this as well, and mostly, deal with this sad look of her if he would have said that he disliked the name she proposed to him. Or those adorable puppy eyes that would force him to use this name anyway.

"Yeah… indeed…" He concluded.

* * *

The meeting with the Doctor went quite well. It actually didn't take long to get an appointment with him. He couldn't actually help him out with his memory trouble, but he had at least provided him some medicines to ease his pain and help him against the headache sticking around since yesterday. ' _It is better than nothing... I suppose._ ', he thought, ' _He had at least proposed me to go around and try different things. Maybe, by chance, something will stand out and trigger some memories._ '

He stood outside of the clinic's entrance, looking at the village. Woodstock was quite lively for a village. Harrison explained to him that Woodstock has developed as a big commercial spot for everyone to sell and buy whatever they wanted. It was one of the reason why their farm was situated near it. Allowing them to sell what they were producing and to retrieve the necessary items they were needing. It was quite the perfect place for them.

"Harrison told me to join him on the principal commercial street when I would be done here.", he told himself while walking in a certain direction. "I'm not sure where the street is situate, but my best guess would be to go where there is the most activity."

On the way, he notice that there seemed to be a commotion up ahead. When he got closer, he noticed two police cars and some officers here and there. There was a crowd that had gathered around the building's entrance where the "scene of crime" seemed to have happened. By its appearance, it seemed to be a museum.

He frowned, "What is going on here…?"

It seems like Harrison will have to wait.

* * *

 **Question for the reader:** What do you think happened in the museum?

 _Your answer or suggestion may be used as inspiration for the story. It's some way to add more interaction with the readers =P._

 **Extra:** I have nothing to add here for this chapter, but in future chapters, I'll add info like extra pictures, comics, mini stories and such, related to this story. =P

 **Question:** There was no question in the last chapter. )=

* * *

 **Beta:** Bergor ( Thanks buddy =P )

 **Disclaimer:** _ **I don't own the characters from the Professor Layton game series. Professor Layton is the property of Level-5, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.**_

 _ **Mia, Harrison and Elizabeth belong to me.**_


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